Nokia will launch the Nokia 7373 Special Edition handset designed in association with fashion designer Giambattista Valli at Paris Fashion Week at the end of the month.

The Nokia 7373 expected in UK stores next month with a guide price of £190 comes in two colours with Valli-style phone accessories.

The powder pink version comes with a pearl necklace for a strap and a miniature pink skull. The black chrome version has an onyx-like crystal strap and a black skull.

Each handset comes pre-loaded with a video about Valli and a selection of Valli wallpapers and graphics.

Valli said: Depending on your mood you swap bags and transfer the contents. Nokia has applied this idea to the world of mobility. Just swap SIM cards from one mobile phone to another to match your personal style.

Samsung posts increases in Q1 handset shipments, revenue and operating margin

The latest in Nokias biggest-selling mid-tier handset range the Nokia 6300 will be with all sales channels by the start of March and will sell better than its predecessors Nokia claimed last week.

The 6300 will be available on both prepay and contract with a retail price of around £160 before tax and subsidies. Nokia expects it to appeal to the youth market and business users alike.

Nokia UK head of product marketing Marcus Dacombe said: It will be best in class at this price point not just across our portfolio but across all of retail for music video and design. We have high expectations. It will sell even better than previous 6000 series handsets.

It is at a good price on both prepay and contract. We are ready to ship the product into the channel for the first weekend in March and it will be ranged across all networks and retail channels.

The Nokia 6300 which launches in silver and black follows the popular 6230 and 6210 handsets. It has a stainless steel casing a two megapixel camera and an expandable memory slot with storage for 1500 music tracks.

Dacombe said it was the counterpoint to the N95 Nokias other big handset launch for the year which is set to hit the shops six weeks later.

The 6300 will launch with a two-week billboard advertising campaign followed by a two-month print push and viral marketing activity through the year. Nokia is also expected to put significant funds behind its point-of-sale activity.

The UK mobile phone market is setting Sony Ericssons agenda for sales in the rest of the world.

Sony Ericsson vice-president and head of product marketing Steve Walker told Mobile News that its success in the UK where it took the number one spot from Nokia at the end of last year serves as a model for its global operations.

He said: Were pretty much in the lead in the UK now so it has a high degree of influence.

Walker said that Sony Ericssons close relations with UK-based network operators play out in other markets around the world.

There are five extremely well-developed network operators in the UK that have a presence in other markets he said.

The things we do in the UK in terms of service development applications even marketing is very much a benchmark for the ways we operate elsewhere.

Walker added that Sony Ericssons global ambition to become a top-three handset manufacturer would not be achieved by pursuing market share at the expense of profitability.

To attract a premium for handsets you have to offer something more to the consumer and to the network he argued. We can offer something more. The day we offer something that other manufacturers offer is the day that premium on our products disappears.
Sony Ericsson is expected to launch around 20 handsets to the UK market this year.

Despite handset development being split mainly between Sweden and Japan Sony Ericssons global headquarters are in London and its president Miles Flint is British. It allows us a real feel for the UK market said Walker.

Accessories manufacturer Parrot has teamed up with auto accessories chain Halfords to offer drivers affordable hands-free kits to comply with new legislation on the use of mobile phones on the road.

From tomorrow (Tuesday) drivers caught using their mobile phone while driving will be fined £60 plus three penalty points.

Halfords is offering the Parrot CK3000 Evolution Bluetooth hands-free kit plus free installation for £99.99. Halfords is also stocking Parrots 3200LS-Colour handsfree kit and the Parrot Minikit handsfree speakerphone.

Later in the year it will range the forthcoming Parrot MK6000 music hands-free kit.

Parrot director of UK sales Chris Roberts said: Through our partnership with Halfords we are offering drivers who are concerned about their safety their comfort and about complying with legislation a fully fitted professional solution to meet their needs and expectations.

Sony Ericssons K800 Cyber-shot phone won best handset at the GSM Associations 2007 awards at 3GSM in Barcelona recently.

Sony Ericssons corporate executive vice president and head of sales Anders Runevad said: Our Cyber-shot portfolio has made mobile imaging a reality for millions of people and we are very proud that the industry has endorsed our achievements.

Sony Ericssons Cyber-shot handset range was introduced in 2006. More than 4.5 million have been sold worldwide claimed Sony Ericsson. The 3.2 megapixel K800 was the first Cyber-shot phone.

Reports claim that the woman had been charging her phone for 10 minutes when a fireball came out of the handset and struck her in the face. The battery inside her phone was a BL-D3 series and is not one of the 46 million that Nokia recalled last month.

Nokia are currently investigating the incident but believe that the battery in question could be a fake.

Nokia communications director Mark Squires told Mobile News: Investigations are currently underway and laboratory analysis are being conducted by a separate authoritiy. At the moment we have no further information but we believe the battery could be a counterfeit product.

Nokia batteries have five levels of protection and explosions of this kind are extremely unlikely. But we are taking this claim seriously and would like to stress that our customers safety is paramount.

Mainline has appointed Marlon Morgan as southern regional sales manager.

Morgan will head up a team of field executives Mainlines revamped dealer manager team for the region and three members of Mainlines dealer support team. He has been tasked with establishing new dealer accounts in the south.

Morgan said Mainline is investing more heavily to support its dealer base than rival distributors.

He said: Mainline like few other companies is always looking to invest in its customer base. I will focus on providing dealers with comprehensive support packages and value-added propositions that will help them maximise their Orange business.

Mainline managing director Andrew Boden said: Marlon has a vast amount of experience in dealer channels as well as direct sales.

His knowledge and sales expertise will prove invaluable to all our dealers looking to enhance their business.

Morgan has 14 years experience in the industry. He was part of the pre-launch sales team at One2One (now T-Mobile) and has also held senior sales positions at Xerox Pitney Bowes NTL NTT Communications and Caudwell Communications.

Yes Telecom claimed last week it is the top UK service provider for BlackBerry.

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) refused to comment on its UK partners.

Yes said it had connected over 15000 BlackBerry data subscribers with an average revenue per user of £84. It connected 1900 in November and December an increase of 1537 year-on-year.

Virgin Mobile has practically exited the independent channel including high street retail because of the cost of acquisition. It aims to boost its meagre contract subscriber base by signing 400000 customers this year from parent company Virgin Medias base which numbers around five million. Sales to group customers will be direct and see it pull back further from the channel.

Meanwhile Virgin Mobile has restructured its marketing team ahead of the arrival of new managing director Graeme Oxby next week.

Jonathan Kini who ran Virgin Mobiles supply chain and logistics has taken the role of director of commercial. Kini takes over responsibility from former Virgin Mobile sales and distribution director Rob Shardlow for all commercial contracts including network relations and handset purchasing. Shardlow has taken the role of group sales director at Virgin Media.

Under Virgin Media Kinis job will differ from former Virgin Mobile commercial director Joe Steels role with much of the slack taken up at group level.

Likewise the role of Virgin Mobile managing director which Oxby takes on September 3 is reduced in terms of administrative and financial scope.

Tim Dowling who was in charge of prepay and contract has been appointed director of the consumer proposition.

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